Today, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Turkmenistan, Philippe Merlin, who presented his credentials to the head of state, the Turkmen television news program Watan reported.

“Wishing to maintain and strengthen the relations that exist between our two countries, I decided to accredit to you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic, Mr. Philippe Merlin, holder of the National Order of Merit,” reads the text of the credentials signed by the President of the French Republic of Emmanuel Macron.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov sincerely congratulated the representative of a friendly country on his appointment to a responsible diplomatic post and wished him great success in further developing and strengthening bilateral fruitful relations.

While stating with satisfaction the positive nature of political and diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted their successful interaction both in bilateral and multilateral formats.

Touching upon the topic of trade and economic cooperation between Turkmenistan and France, the head of state noted the special contribution of French companies to the development of a number of sectors of the national economy over the years. Thus, the partnership is successfully expanding in the construction, oil and gas and communications sectors.

Information technology, oil and gas, chemical, food industries, etc. were named among the promising areas of cooperation. In this regard, the important role of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-French Commission for Economic Cooperation was noted.

A significant place in the strengthening of interstate relations, the rapprochement of peoples and in the mutual enrichment of cultures, in the general opinion, is occupied by cooperation in the humanitarian direction.